In a shocking revelation, a number of Kenyan maids returning from Saudi Arabia have shared their harrowing accounts of abuse not only by their employers but also by embassy officials who were supposed to help them.
One such victim, Selestine Kemoli, sought refuge at the Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh in 2020 after enduring severe mistreatment from her employer. While expressing her fears and seeking help to return to her children in Kenya, she was met with a shocking proposition by Robinson Juma Twanga, the embassy's labor attaché. “I will sleep with you, just the same way your boss has slept with you,” he is reported to have said, adding another painful layer to her ordeal.
Multiple testimonies from women of varying backgrounds confirm that Twanga wasn't alone in his misconduct; similar stories have emerged about a pattern of exploitation by other embassy officials. As they sought safety and support, many were confronted with demands for sex or money, pushing them towards desperate measures such as working in the sex trade to afford their flights home.
Lawyers and advocates for these workers express alarm over these allegations, stating that this abuse further highlights systemic failures in protecting vulnerable Kenyan citizens overseas. This systemic issue reveals an urgent need for protective reforms and accountability for those meant to safeguard the rights of these maids, who are often powerless in their circumstances.
